But on a serious note, this contract is about the dumbest thing in the world. Not the fact that they re-upped nothing but a face puncher(the fact that he included that he's gonna be a face puncher in his tweet actually made me laugh), but the fact we gave him TWO YEARS!!!!

What other team was seriously looking into acquiring him that we need to give him two years, you could have given him a 1 year two way contract and he'd damn well better be grateful.

Really though, if Hartley thinks the team needs a facepuncher (for some inexplicable reason), might as well be McGrattan, who's already known and liked (I guess) in Calgary. The devil you know, and all that.

I am actually ok with this signing. If you're going to dress a fighting it might as well be the biggest and toughest fighter you can get. I have seen Jackman lose to many fights and would much rather Mcgrattan dress. Mcgrattan B.Jones Bouma is my 4th line next season. That way we still have speed and a bodyguard on the 4th line. There is no reason to dress both Jackman and Mcgrattan and since Mcgrattan is a much better fighter and in my opinion just as good of a player if not better then Jackman, I dress Mcgrattan and waive/trade Jackman

I am actually ok with this signing. If you're going to dress a fighting it might as well be the biggest and toughest fighter you can get. I have seen Jackman lose to many fights and would much rather Mcgrattan dress. Mcgrattan B.Jones Bouma is my 4th line next season. That way we still have speed and a bodyguard on the 4th line. There is no reason to dress both Jackman and Mcgrattan and since Mcgrattan is a much better fighter and in my opinion just as good of a player if not better then Jackman, I dress Mcgrattan and waive/trade Jackman

I totally agree. The players play with more confidence when he is dressed. When needed he is good guy to have around.

LOL, this is hilarious. Calgarypuck thinks this is the best signing ever and flamesnation thinks this is awful. To be honest, the truth is likely somewhere in between, and if he is truly that terrible, you can waive him and send him to the minors.

I have no problems with bringing him in to protect the kids. Best quote from Baertschi re: Mcgrattan:

He came over to me and said, "You can do whatever you want out there. As soon as someone jumps you, I'm going to go out there and kill them."

There were times in the past when one of the few things we had to hang our hat on (as Flame fans) was that we had probably the toughest SOB fighter in the league, Sandy McCarthy. I do not hate this signing, we are getting younger, and we are likely not going to be a contender for at least 2 years. I see no real downside as long as he doesn't take playing time away from a kid, and we all know he will be lucky if he gets 5min of ice per game played. So, nothing to get all worked up about.

Bread and Circuses...
This is the signing of a franchise that has been woefully mismanaged for 20 + years...when nothing of talent/substance can be offered then the plebs are given sideshows like McGrattan to distract from the dismal existence that is the Flames.
Ken King knows this better than anyone from his days as a newsrag huckster.

Everybody knew the Flames were going to dress an enforcer this season, no matter what. I'd far rather they reupped McG than trade useful assets for someone else to fill the same role. This signing, while not a good thing in and of itself, is the lesser of several unknown evils, so I welcome it.

As for McG, he's far from the worst enforcer in the league when it comes to playing hockey, although that isn't saying much. However, one thing he's got going for him is that he's a damned good enforcer. The Flames would do well to print this picture out 6 feet wide and wall-paper the visitor's dressing room with it.

http://flamesnation.ca/uploads/Image/McGratten.jpg

Enforcers are not going to go away as long as the rules around fighting permit enforcer-battles (e.g. Two pugs dropping their gloves 2 seconds into the first period). As much as I hate the waste of resources and gratuitous violence, I don't blame the Flames for this decision. I blame the NHL for not finding ways to evolve the game past this.

why do you guys care so much about this signing..its a who cares signing. these guys are more about if they are popular in the dressing room..since none of us know how he is then this is a decent signing...save your sighs for the over payment of more third line left wingers and centres..feaster is rebuilding the 04 flames but in 2013..we are gonna suck anyway..so we should be happy

I don't normally like contracts to goons. But I am fine with this one.

One, watching heavy weights duke it out is exciting. This team isn't going to be all that exciting over the next couple of seasons. So why not?

Two, the team did play with an increased level of energy after acquiring him.

Three, with all the kids on the ice having a bit of protection (perceived or real) will help with their confidence.

Four, most players will tell you that having this type of player on your roster DOES make a difference. In a random team game sometimes we have to acknowledge that the numbers don't tell the entire story. If the players feel better having him it is probably a good thing.

tbh it's only flames "fans" on FN that gets ignited all the time, if you go on HFboard or other sites most fans love this signing.

Just a very few Flame fans who don't like this signing. As some have said on here, he comes to play to the best of his ability every night, sticks up for his team mates and from all reports is very well liked and respected by his team. He apparently has some of the best advanced stats for his role as well. Look no further than the Sesito scraps. I believe the team won both those games too.

That one goal I saw was pretty sweet! Almost looked like he had some skills. I like him anyway even if he's not much of a player and if he actually did say that to Sven then I like him even more. And really The flames are low on contracts so gotta fill the rosters somehow, and yes there are tons of mediocre players out there but might as well take someone who is good in the room and won't steal minutes from our young skill guys. He has one job to do.